The Edit / Luxe Shimmer Body Oils

As I’m now chasing my rapidly-fading Portugal tan but am not quite ready to return to faking it*, I’ve found myself rather enjoying a shimmer. Not, I hasten to add, the sparkly, gunky stuff I used to smear my legs in when going out during my school years in a ra-ra (ah those heady days of heinous fashion and dubiously greasy-looking legs), but instead have sided with the more sophisticated, skin-softening ilk of shimmers, such as…

TOM FORD SHIMMERING BODY OIL currently out of stock but shortly to make a return / Deliciously-scented, this one is thanks to the light touch of floral and notes of warm sandalwood. It’s also a bit of a surpriser – the shimmer is teeny tiny, so it only catches the light directly on it. This effect reminds me a little of that bit in Twilight when the vampire’s skin glitters in sunlight, so if you’d like to replicate that, this is the one. But it seems to be sold out everywhere, so…

OMOROVICZA GOLD SHIMMERING OIL / This looks much like the Tom Ford once smoothed on, only a little less shimmery. The price, by the way, is justified by the skincare element of this one: calendula, apricot seed and coconut all make an appearance while the subtle shimmer also works just as well to add lustre to hair.

l to r: Omorovicza, Tom Ford and African Botanics Shimmer Oils

AFRICAN BOTANICS SHIMMERING GOLD OIL / Less shimmer, more healthy sheen, this is my favourite of the three because it lights skin up in that ‘have you slept a full 9 hours and steered clear of wine and inorganic foods all year?’ way, while also smelling like actual heaven (in case you hadn’t already guessed from previous pieces, African Botanics’ scents do it for me in a big way). For anyone with a major date coming up, invest – if you’re anything like me, you’ll feel much more confident baring your skin when you know it’s super soft and looks a little more even/glows like J Lo’s.

*My face pretty much always needs a touch of the faux thanks to my staple coat of SPF 50, so I’m all over that (or, rather, it’s all over me).